Finally Saying I Do
by Kristen3
Summary: After so many years of being single, Mary Richards is finally tying the knot. Old friends are reunited to mark the occasion.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This came out of a random story idea I had. As I kept thinking about it, more ideas started to come. This obviously isn't finished. I DO plan to bring in other characters, too, so don't worry about that! Please do R&R!

Mary could hardly believe this day was finally here. "How do I look?" she asked, turning around to Rhoda.

"Kid, do I really have to answer that? You know you look gorgeous!"

Mary smiled and hugged her best friend. "I'm so glad you're here. I couldn't have done this without you."

"I'm your best friend. You came all the way to New York for my wedding, didn't you? This is the least I could do!"

"I still can't believe this is happening. I mean, even I gave up hope there for a while. And to think I'm marrying an _anchorman_! Thank God he's nothing like Ted!"

"Believe me, if you were marrying a man like Ted, I'd kidnap you if had to, to keep you from walking down the aisle!"

"And I would love you for it," Mary said, squeezing Rhoda's hand.

Suddenly, they both turned, upon hearing a soft voice. Georgette stood in the doorway. "Oh, Mary, you look beautiful. You must be so excited. I know that's how I felt when I married my Teddy."

Mary smiled and hugged her friend. "I am. And I'm glad I had more than a half-hour to plan this thing. I mean, you only get married once."

"Right. But sometimes that whole 'till death do us part' thing doesn't exactly pan out," Rhoda said. Her marriage to Joe had been over for years. In a strange turn of events, Rhoda had actually begun to enjoy being single, as her career began to take off. It was about that time that Mary began thinking of settling down. Rhoda had certainly never imagined she'd at Mary's wedding alone. But, then, life did have a way of surprising them both.

Georgette leaned over to whisper in Rhoda's ear. "I don't think Mary wants to hear about that right now, Rhoda."

"It's fine, Georgette. Rhoda's marriage didn't work out, but mine will. I always said I didn't want to rush into things until I was sure it was right. And it is."

Rhoda nodded. "You're right. It was only a matter of time before you found some perfect man and finally got married. I'm sure you and Charles will be happy. And if you're _not_ happy, I'll have a word with your new husband myself!"

Mary hugged her friend once again. Rhoda often tried to come off "tough" due to her New York background, but Mary knew it was just her way of being a good friend.

Seeing the two hugging, Georgette was thrilled. "This is just like old times. We're back together again!"

Without a word, Mary and Rhoda expanded their hug, making it a group hug. They held each other like that for a long moment.

A voice caused the three to break apart, startled. "Uh, Mare, your _anchorman_ says he wants to get the show on the road." Ted rolled his eyes. It was clear he did not approve of Mary's husband-to-be.

"Thanks, Ted, we're on our way," Mary said. Not even Ted Baxter's attitude could dampen her enthusiasm today.


	2. Chapter 2

Mary stood at the back of the church, looking at where her husband-to-be stood. Seeing the faces of so many people she loved who'd come here for this, Mary was taken back in time for a moment. She could still recall when she first moved to Minneapolis. She felt so alone, but little did she know she was already surrounded by family.

Then Mary caught sight of Charles, and her memories faded. She thought about when she'd first met him, just a year after leaving WJM. It hadn't taken her long to find a job at another TV station. She'd noticed Charles right away. He was handsome, but her experience with Ted Baxter had taught her that looks weren't the same as intelligence. She wasn't interested in an office romance. Instead, Mary focused on work. She'd already gotten close to one group of coworkers, only to have them ripped away from her. She would not make that mistake again.

Despite Mary's efforts to keep her distance, Charles would not give up. Eventually, she agreed to one date with him, making it clear that it would be _just_ dinner and nothing else. That night, the two found themselves talking for hours, and Mary felt she'd known Charles for a lot longer than a few months. Before Mary knew what was happening, she and Charles were seriously discussing their future together. For the first time in her life, Mary Richards had met a man she could actually see herself marrying.

Mary knew she would have to plan this wedding carefully, as she would be inviting people from all over. Her WJM family had scattered around the country after they were fired. But this was an event none of them would miss. Sue Ann had landed herself a national TV show, and was doing quite well for herself. Amazingly, her private life had, thus far, remained just that. Mary had wisely decided that it was not worth it to invite the Happy Homemaker to her wedding. She could not endure Sue Ann's comments about Mary's love-life or her choices of decorations.

Aside from her work friends, Mary had invited only Rhoda. Phyllis was busy traveling the globe now. Though Rhoda hadn't said anything, Mary knew her friend was grateful that Phyllis had been unable to attend. It eased Mary's mind as well. She still remembered what happened at Rhoda's wedding, and didn't want to see that repeated.

As Mary neared the altar, she saw Lou and Murray, seated next to each other in one of the front pews. She knew Lou was trying his best to hold his emotions in, but of course it wasn't working as well as he'd hoped. She smiled at them. She couldn't imagine where she'd be today without the two of them.

Then, like a magnet, Mary's attention was once again turned to the man waiting for her at the altar. She had enjoyed her single years. Had Mary not waited to get married, she would never have had the career she did now. Next to Charles, it was the most important thing in her life. Being married would obviously change her life, but she was ready for it.

When Mary reached her place beside Rhoda and Georgette, Charles smiled at her. _You look beautiful_ , he mouthed. His compliment warmed Mary's heart.

"Well, it looks like we have everyone we need here," the minister said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Mary said, and there was no hesitation in her voice. This was right, and everyone knew it.

"All right, then. We usually think of a family as parents and children, all bonded by blood and history. But it doesn't always have to be that way," the minister said. "If you think about it, any group of people who live and work closely with each other can give us many of the same feelings as any biological family. And that's what we have here today. So, in celebration of that, Mary and Charles are here to join their lives, and form a more traditional family."

For a moment, the chapel was silent, as everyone took in the words spoken by the preacher.

"Now, do we have the rings?"

"Right here," Rhoda said, handing Mary the gold band.

At the same time, Charles was given his by his best man.

"Do you, Charles, promise to love, honor and cherish Mary for as long as you live?"

"I do," Charles said, slipping the ring onto Mary's finger.

Mary found that she could barely speak when it was her turn to speak the same words. But this was not a moment to let her emotions get in the way.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Just like that, Mary Richards was no longer a single woman. When she turned around to face the congregation, nearly everyone was wiping a tear from their eyes. She felt her heart would nearly burst from the love she felt in the room. _Yes_ , she thought. _I've finally made it, after all_.


	3. Chapter 3

The reception was soon in full swing. So many people had come here for this that Mary didn't even know who to thank first. This day would never have happened without her former coworkers.

She was spared having to decide when, suddenly, Lou Grant was in front of her. For a moment, neither spoke. They didn't have to; after so many years, they each knew what the other was thinking. Finally, Lou broke the silence. "I'm happy for you. After all those lousy dates, you finally found a man who deserves you."

Mary smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Grant." After a moment, she corrected herself. "Lou."

To Mary's surprise, Lou suddenly hugged her and kissed her cheek. Lou saw the shock on her face. "Well, I mean, other than Charles, I'm the only guy here who's actually been on a date with you."

The memory played in Mary's mind, the nervous evening they'd spent together, before deciding they could never be a couple. "I did have a few good dates during those years," she said. "You were one of them."

Lou didn't speak, but it was impossible to ignore the way he blushed. "I think I need a drink," he finally said. With that, Lou very quickly walked away. Mary didn't blame him. Talking about any kind of emotion was always difficult for him.

For a few minutes, Mary and Charles were actually able to enjoy the reception without interruption.

But that ended very abruptly when Mary felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, and Murray stood before her. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Mary immediately agreed, and the two walked over to a corner of the reception hall. The look on her friend's face nearly made Mary's heart stop. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

Murray answered with a sad smile. "Well, I'm glad you found somebody who makes you happy, Mary. Really, I am."

"Thank you, Murray. Even I can't believe how lucky I got. And I married an anchorman! I mean, would _you_ have predicted that?"

Mary laughed, but Murray's face showed no reaction. "I gotta be honest with you, Mare. Maybe if Marie were here, this wouldn't be so tough on me. But she's sick, so I came on my own. And I know my feelings for you should be in the past, especially now. But when I saw you in your wedding gown, looking more beautiful than I've ever seen, a part of me wished _I_ could be the one standing there at the altar. I know that's a terrible thing to say, but I just had to let you know."

In all of the excitement of planning this wedding, and deciding who she would invite, Murray's feelings had never even crossed her mind. Now she mentally kicked herself. But she quickly recovered. "Murray, you don't have to be ashamed of how you feel. I think it's very sweet. And I want you to know that not a day goes by that I don't think of our years at WJM. Even though my career has improved somewhat over the years, I could never forget where I came from. I don't take one second for granted. I know I'm about to start a new chapter in my life, and I'm really excited to see what's ahead. But none of it can ever take the place of the memories I have. I wouldn't be who I am today if I hadn't walked into the WJM newsroom to ask for a job." She hugged Murray tightly. When she finally let him go, Mary saw a slight sadness in his eyes. She wished she knew what to say to make that go away, but they both knew that was impossible. "Thank you," she whispered to him, hoping it would help, even the slightest bit.

Mary slowly made her way back to the table where Charles was sitting. She knew he would ask what was wrong. She forced a smile when faced with the inevitable question. "Nothing's wrong," she said. "I was just talking to Murray, and he reminded me of some things that happened years ago."

From where she sat at their table, Rhoda knew immediately what Mary was talking about. Mary had called her in New York the night she heard about her friend's feelings for her. "Hey, kid, even if Murray is a little sad, I know he's happy for you, too. We all are. Don't let it get to you. You're married. _That's_ what you should be thinking about. I mean, you don't want to ruin your honeymoon before it's even started, do you?"

As usual, Rhoda knew exactly what to say to cheer Mary up. "Thanks," she said, giving her best friend a grateful smile. Rhoda responded with a dismissive wave of her hand.

A second later, Mary heard a familiar giggle. She turned and saw Ted and Georgette standing there. "Well, Mare, you finally did it. You settled down."

"Yes, Ted, I did." Mary reached for Charles' hand. It was obvious they were both happy.

Ted looked at the two of them, and it was clear he didn't like it. "Come on, you can tell the truth now. You only picked him because this silver fox was already taken." Ted pointed to himself.

"Ted!" Georgette immediately said. For once, Georgette was showing a bit of impatience with her husband. "This is Mary's day. I think the least you can do is be happy for her."

"I am," Ted said, turning to her. "But if it was an anchorman she wanted, she could've had me. I mean, I _was_ single once, too."

"Oh, Ted," Mary said, laughing a bit. "I couldn't dream of being with you. From the moment I met you, I knew you were out of my league. I had never even been in a newsroom before WJM. You were so handsome and confident. I just never had a chance." Every word was a lie, but Mary knew from experience that it was better to just tell Ted what he wanted to hear.

"Oh, well, yeah, I see how you would've been intimidated," Ted agreed. "The important thing is that you're going to be as happy as Georgette and I are. Married life is pretty great. Isn't it, Georgette?"

"Oh, yes, Ted. Mary, I hope you and Charles have a long and happy life together."

Mary stood, hugging them both in turn. Ted might never be her favorite person on earth, but the years she'd spent working with him were easily some of the best in her life.

When Ted and Georgette walked away, Mary sat back down. She hoped no one would see the tear she was wiping from her eye. She caught Rhoda's look, and it was clear that her friend had seen. "Well, I just never expected to be this emotional. I've never done this before!"

"Aw, kid, don't do this to yourself. I know, saying goodbye to a chapter in your life is always hard." Rhoda remembered how difficult it had been to leave Minneapolis. But moving to New York had allowed her to become closer to her little sister, Brenda. Even if everything in New York wasn't perfect. Rhoda was always grateful for that. "But just think, it was hard moving to a new city, with no friends or job. But you stuck with it, and your life turned out to be great. Now you're married. I can't promise it'll be happily-ever-after, but whatever happens, you'll get through it. You always do."

Once again, Rhoda's words were precisely what Mary needed to hear. "Oh, Rhoda!" In a second, Mary had gotten up from her seat and walked to where her best friend sat. They hugged tightly. Mary looked at the room, filled with people she loved. All of them had come here to wish her well. Then she glanced at her husband, realizing all over again that she'd never felt this way about any other man. _How did I ever get so lucky_ , she wondered. Mary had a feeling that, as long as she lived, she'd never be able to answer that question.

 **The End**


End file.
